health hazards from "toilet plume" aerosol

What I am most concerned about in this discussion is not about the toilets in my homeor most toilets in general. What I am most wary of, and I have only encountered them at work, are the automated valves on some the toilets (most of the urinals have auto-flush). The toilets at work don't have lids, so there is nothing to close. So, if I MUST use a stall, and the toilet has a regular lever, then I open the stall door, flush, back away immediately then leave as soon as I'm sure everything has gone down. As soon as you get off the seat on the ones with auto-flush, the toilet flushes and there is no way to get away from it. I can smell the chlorine (actually our water provider uses chloramine) and can feel the air turbulence caused by the flush. One time I nearly got splashed when the toilet blew a bubble (don't want to add fuel to the fire, but it was from a new American Standard Afwall... and to soothe the spirits, the urinals in that particular restroom are Toto - I'm surprised the cheapskates spent money for Toto when the Eljer Correcto seems to have been the urinal of choice (and those do stink))!!!

Where I work, there is always something going around. People come to work sick because they are afraid of getting a bad rating at the end of the year or losing their jobs; except now, close attention is being paid to H1N1, and those people are required to stay home. There are now Purell dispensers throughout the site, and I use them. But the bathrooms in general are dirty, and the the most heavily used ones reek despite attempts at cleaning.

But it gives me the creeps to be confined in one of those stalls and have the toilet flush without being able to back away from it.

Like I said, I try not to overthink these things. But the thing that maybe I find worst is the floor around urinals! It is usually floating in pee! And no matter how hard you try, I just know that stuff is being tracked out of there throughout whatever building, and back home! So we don't go past the front door with shoes on.

YES, Jimbo... you are absolutely right about the floors! Whenever I have to use the "on line restrooms", there is usually "pee" all over the floor in front of the urinals. Thankfully I don't carry it home on my shoes, because they are encased in cleanroom booties. However, the stench in our lovely facilities is covered up by a strong fake summer flower scent from the deodorant, which isn't used anywhere else in the factory (and ought to be).

If I can avoid public restrooms, I do. But with a 12 hour shift at work, it's impossible.

Like I said, I try not to overthink these things. But the thing that maybe I find worst is the floor around urinals! It is usually floating in pee! And no matter how hard you try, I just know that stuff is being tracked out of there throughout whatever building, and back home! So we don't go past the front door with shoes on.

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No shoes in the home is a good habit. Friends and family get yelled at (by the wife) if they walk in the house with their shoes on. We did this before we had Belle but that is especially important now, little ones that drop stuff on the floor and apparently follow the 300000000000000 second rule.

Glad your not my customer...you would have to look for another plumber...I remove my shoes for nobody...I do not want other peoples germs directly on my socks or feet...then put socks back into shoes and a nice warm humid environment allows things to grow...

The last time I did remove them I was on a call and stepped in pop that had spilled on the kitchen floor...That was the last time they came of in a customers home...never again...

Glad your not my customer...you would have to look for another plumber...I remove my shoes for nobody...I do not want other peoples germs directly on my socks or feet...then put socks back into shoes and a nice warm humid environment allows things to grow...

The last time I did remove them I was on a call and stepped in pop that had spilled on the kitchen floor...That was the last time they came of in a customers home...never again...

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I would respect your wish to not take off your shoes but then if you don't have "booties" then you would not be my plumber.

And my house (contrary to my wife's opinion) is super clean 23-1/2 hours a day.

Oh, those booties are dangerous. They are slippery on surfaces, Matt. I tell anyone who comes into my home to leave their shoes on. I always laid a big blanket out onto the floor when the boys were little and put their toys onto that, and I swept often and they are in their 20's today. We take our shoes off and wear slippers with non-slip bottoms, but our guests in our home, never. Also, consider you might also be inviting bacteria onto your rugs from their sweaty, and maybe, dirty feet. People always wipe their shoes on the welcome mat.